Alone and Infinite

But now Li Xia can hunt 2-3, which is one more than others.

If you clear all the star levels, you can get at least two more blue equipment pieces and one light purple equipment piece. You can also sell the unused materials to other apostles.

The fourth option, adding one more open area, saves a significant amount of time.

According to the Hunter's Guild's rules, each hunter is only qualified to move to the next area after hunting down the overlord of the current area.

My next destination was the Anthill Wasteland, but frankly, there wasn't much prey to look forward to in that area.

The regional overlord, Long, posed little challenge to Li Xia.

Now we can skip directly to the lower areas, which is undoubtedly a good thing that saves energy.

If you have time left after unlocking all the areas, then going back to clear the Great Anthill Wasteland is a good option.

(Monster Hunter area map: Ancient Forest - Wildspire Waste - Coral Highlands - Rotten Vale)

Having made up his mind, Li Xia looked at the last reward.

[The hidden secrets of this world]

This is a map with the path leading forward outlined in simple strokes.

There was also a line of smaller text above: Land of the Dragon's Rest

[Executioner, you have received guidance on the hidden secrets of this world. Please proceed to the area shown on the map to obtain the next clue.]

Li Xia frowned, then suddenly relaxed.

He knew what it was!

Hidden area! Or you could say hidden snow area.

Legend has it that some worlds contain hidden areas that hold the secrets of that world and offer rich rewards.

However, very few people can figure out the secrets of the hidden areas, or rather, the triggering conditions are extremely demanding.

Even the top guilds haven't mastered a reliable method to enter the hidden areas.

Besides the fixed conditions, the most important factor in unlocking hidden areas is that the apostles must perform exceptionally well in the current world.

The Hall of Light felt it necessary to give the apostles an 'bonus question'.

Only then is it possible to trigger the hidden area!

Li Xia gripped the simple map, his eyes narrowing slightly.

This might just be the greatest reward in the world!

------------

1. Monthly pass 2. Recommendation vote

Chapter 159 Black Charcoal, the Art Student Who Failed the Exam

"Wow--"

Sparkling water splashed everywhere. Hei Tan picked up a fishing rod made of bamboo and pulled a fish from the edge of the pool, which was constantly thrashing its tail.

"Meow--!"

Awoo immediately rushed forward and, together with observer Abbot, surrounded the fish, activating the Harvest spell!

Aowu and Aibo stood with one hand on their hips, holding something shiny high in the air.

At the same time, he shouted loudly:

"yeah!!!"

Li Xia paused in his grilling of fish, his gaze towards Aowu filled with complex emotions.

Aowu has completely let loose. He even suspects that Aowu is just a little milk dragon and hasn't actually gone to the battlefield.

That's how a sliver of his soul was preserved in that devastating war.

"Hey buddy, look what this is!"

Aibo couldn't wait to deliver the collected materials to Li Xia.

I glanced at it, hmm?

It seems to be a pretty good product.

The upper fin of the hard bamboo mackerel

[Quality: Green (Level 2)]

[Origin: Monster Hunter World]

[Type: consumables]

[Number of grinding cycles: 10]

[Effect: Sharpens bladed weapons, quickly restoring their sharpness (cannot exceed the original sharpness limit)]

[Review: This fish's upper fin is hard enough to be used as a whetstone, and the fish oil it contains is a superior abrasive and oil.]

Li Xia took the long, thin fish fin, thought for a moment, and then simply called over Black Charcoal.

It has already caught quite a few fish, which are rich in energy and enough to eat.

"Black charcoal!"

The kitten put away the fishing rod, took the barbecue grill, and began to skillfully flip and grill the fish.

"Meow?"

"Yes, I can eat spicy food."

"Meow meow?"

"Add more sauce."

"Meow!"

While answering Black Charcoal's questions about flavor preferences, Li Xia took out Night Silence and placed the gun horizontally on his knee.

He's always maintained his spear, but he doesn't seem to have done much polishing.

The apostles rarely paid attention to the sharpness of the blades; they usually sent them to shops run by employees for maintenance.

But Li Xia felt that he should take better care of his main weapon, especially since Night Silence was now bound to his soul.

However, grinding is extremely common in the Monster Hunter world.

The monsters here have exceptionally tough hides, and sometimes they even have various kinds of 'armor,' such as the Bone Hammer Dragon and the Ice Dragon.

Hunters broke through the defenses by using blunt weapons, gunpowder, or extremely sharp objects.

Conversely, weapons become dull at an alarming rate; sometimes, before a battle is even over, the blade can no longer cut through the monster.

Even when you strike a monster, your blade will bounce off.

I had to rely on the Palico to temporarily distract the monster, and then slip away to sharpen my knife.

Following the learned grinding method, press the cut surface of the fin tightly against the blade and make a forceful cut.

The pale yellow oil immediately seeped out from the fish fins, giving them a slightly gritty feel.

There was also the extremely pleasant sound of sharpening knives.

"Brush brush"

After swinging back and forth a few times, Li Xia felt that Ye Ji's spear blade seemed to have become much brighter.

Give it a gentle wave.

"Om-"

The tip of the gun left a bright, somewhat dazzling scratch in the air.

Good!

The fish over there was already grilled over charcoal, and sprinkled with the seasonings brought from the palace, the fish was fragrant and delicious.

In addition, the fish from the Land Coral Plateau are of excellent quality, with a chewy texture and bursting with oil and juice with every bite.

Ignoring the heat, Aibo ate it in big mouthfuls.

"too delicious!"

Black Charcoal crossed its arms and proudly meowed.

"Oh, you graduated with a perfect score in the cooking course at the Palico Academy?"

Aibo looked up in surprise. The Palico Academy was an academy jointly run by the Hunter's Guild and the Palico Clan.

Cats aspiring to become Palicoes will enter this academy to study.

Just as those who came to the New World were all elites of the Hunter's Guild.

The Palicoes are also seasoned veterans; for example, the head chef of the outpost, Mr. Meow, was once a legendary Palico.

It wasn't until it was scratched on the face and its hunting knife broke that it retired to become the head chef.

However, graduating with a perfect score from the highly competitive Palico Academy is still considered quite outstanding for a Palico, even if it only has one course.

Abbott became interested and asked curiously, "What about the other subjects?"

The black charcoal raised its head even higher, its two small triangular ears twitching back and forth:

"Meow meow meow!"

"Performance and disguise both perfectly? There's only one course, isn't there?"

Abbot put down the grilled fish in his hand, his mouth agape in surprise. Maybe his partner had chosen an exceptionally good Palico.

"Meow~~~~~~" Black Charcoal drooped its head, looking very dejected.

"Failed in art?"

As a support/support Palico, he doesn't need to learn combat.

But art classes are quite important, and it's also its favorite class, involving monster depictions, map drawing, and portraiture of iconic landscapes.

These are all very useful skills, but he just can't pass this course no matter what.

"puff--"

Aowu, who was listening nearby, burst out laughing, and Li Xia couldn't help but smile as well.

Black Charcoal kept meowing softly.

It's probably some difficult-to-understand sayings like "every inch has its advantages, and every cat has its disadvantages."

The small campsite was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

Dining outdoors is not like eating leisurely at a base camp.

After quickly finishing the grilled fish, Li Xia used his true qi to disperse the grease stains on his hands and stood up.

"Let's rest for a while and then get ready to set off."

After weaving through the vines that disguised the camp, Li Xia stood on the high platform, gazing at the coral plateau.

A gentle breeze was blowing, carrying the scent of the ocean.

The scene before me felt like stepping into a fantastical otherworld.

The land corals, resembling giant mushrooms, are scattered all around in a pleasing, staggered pattern.

They come in countless shapes and sizes, with delicate branches at the top that move as gracefully as coral polyps, swaying gently in the breeze.

The colors are even more vibrant, with soft pale pink, passionate bright red, refreshing light blue, and deep purple.

The surface of the plateau is inlaid with strange minerals and crystal clusters.

Sunlight streamed down, making the minerals shimmer like scattered jewels on the earth. Even the plants here were completely different from those in the previous two worlds.

The broad leaves have clear veins and their surface appears to be covered with a fluorescent veil.

"This place is beautiful, isn't it, my friend?"

Abbott's voice came from behind; she was gazing at the fantastical scenery with almost greedy eyes.

It seemed as if they wanted to take in the entire view.